Finders, Keepers
by Luna Darkside
Summary: Kaito finds a cell phone... and everything goes downhill from there. /eventual ShinKai, slight KidCon/
1. Chapter 1

_Ha, I really don't know what caused this. (Or if I've going to even finish it.) It was probably an overdose of Bleach fan fiction (because I've recently gotten addicted to it – all the characters are so awesomesauce)._

_So… things you've got to know for this fic to make sense: Kaito is Kid, but didn't know that Conan was Shinichi; Shinichi returned ~2 years ago._

_Also, I tossed in a Sekaiichi Hatsukoi reference. Because I can. Cheers to you if you catch it. (But it's fairly obvious if you've seen/read the series.)_

_So… I guess now, just enjoy! – Luna_

**Finders, Keepers**

Kaito knew he was popular.

Well, maybe he_, _Kuroba Kaito,wasn't popular. The Kaitou Kid was popular, to be more precise.

He liked being well known for his... er... exploits. It was always fun to see his face on the news or in the newspaper, along with headlines and captions like "Kaitou Kid's next heist?!" and "He does it again!" He found it interesting to walk past high school girls fangirling over him, squealing over how _handsome_ and how _gentlemanly_ Kid was and having no clue that the man himself was standing behind them, smirking.

He also found Kid paraphernalia rather amusing as well. Whenever Kaito saw someone with a Kid key chain dangling off their wallet or a girl bouncing along in an "I Heart Kid" t-shirt, he indulged in a small, knowing smile.

So when Kaito was browsing through the mystery section of Marimo Books – he was looking for a birthday present for Hakuba (because why else would he be in the mystery section?) – and spotted a red cell phone lying by his shoe, adorned with a delicate Kid cell phone strap and a soccer ball charm, he grinned, stooping to pick it up. Clearly its owner was a fan of him, and that was enough of a reason to get it back to them. Now if he could get their name…

Turning the phone over in his hand, he found no identification whatsoever. Kaito sighed and flipped it open, only to be met with a screen demanding a passcode. He frowned.

"I wonder whose phone this is," he mused, glancing up and down the aisle and finding himself alone. Obviously the owner hadn't dropped it within the last ten minutes Kaito had been in the area, otherwise he would've noticed them...

"Hm." Kaito was about to go turn it in to the counter when it gave a sharp buzz and Kaito looked down to find it vibrating violently, displaying the name "Mouri Ran" as the caller.

_Mouri Ran? _The name sounded vaguely familiar. Hm... Kaito shrugged and answered the call. "Hello, beautiful~!" he sang, waiting for a response.

There was a short pause, and then a flat male voice asked, "Has anyone called, other than me?"

"Hmm? I was expecting a Ran-chan to be on the other end," Kaito commented, mildly surprised. "But no, nobody else has called. You're the very first."

"Thank God," groaned the voice. "People might've starting thinking I hit my head somewhere and dislodged my brain. Anyway, this is the owner of the phone. I'm assuming you're some random guy who found it?"

"Mmhm," Kaito confirmed, running a finger down the row of spines. "That's me."

"Okay. Where are you?"

"Marimo Books," answered Kaito, tipping a book out from where it was wedged. "Hey, this is one of those Night Baron books, isn't it?" he muttered absently to himself, flipping it over to read the synopsis. "Does Hakuba read these?"

"Night Baron?" asked the man on the other end, and Kaito started, having forgotten he was still talking to him.

"Oh, sorry. I'm trying to buy a book for a friend of mine," Kaito explained awkwardly, sliding the book back into place as he moved along.

"Really? Are you trying to get a mystery?"

"Yes, my friend's a detective. His birthday is coming up." Kaito momentarily wondered why he was telling a perfect stranger about Hakuba of all people.

"A detective? Is that so?" The other's voice held a note of interest.

"Yep, that's so." Kaito sighed as he flipped open the cover of another mystery. This was _so _not his forte. After all, he _was _a phantom thief and thus a criminal, so stories where criminals were caught and "brought to justice" were not exactly his thing. "I don't know what kind of mystery makes a detective happy. Their minds are all twisted." He paused for a second. "This one's especially."

A dry chuckle reached his ears. "Twisted minds, huh? I'd say we just have strong senses of justice."

Kaito almost missed the "we."

"'We'?" he questioned, setting down the book. "Does that mean you're a detective…" Kaito hesitated for a second, wondering how to address the phone's owner. "…Ran-kun?"

"I'm not Ran," the man corrected, sounding borderline amused and borderline aggravated. "Think about it. I'm obviously not calling you from my own cell phone, since _you're _using it right now. So therefore I'm not Ran. I'm just using her phone."

"Oh." Kaito smirked a little. "Definitely a detective… _Ran_-_kun_."

"I just told you not to call me that," muttered the voice. "Anyway, if you're trying to find a book for a detective, I'd suggest anything by Shinmei Kaori. You know, like the Detective Samonji series. They're pretty good, in my opinion."

"Shinmei Kaori?" Kaito paced up and down the aisle a few times before locating the author's section. He tugged a volume out from its spot and peered down at it quizzically. Flipping a few pages, he skimmed it with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, this seems... wait a second, isn't that…?"

The passage that had caught Kaito's eye involved one of Samonji's assistants, a bespectacled know-it-all kid.

His lips drew into a slight smile. Kind of like tantei-kun...

Kaito's eyes adopted a faraway cast, his hands going slack around both the phone and the book. How many years had it been, again? Two? He hadn't seen tantei-kun since the kid had gone missing – when Kaito had subtly investigated the manner, it seemed that the boy had just up and left, apparently leaving for the States with his parents.

Kaito hadn't been sure as to how he should accept the news. For one, he was devastated that his favorite critic was no longer around to pose a suitable threat, and for another, he wasn't buying that up-and-leaving story. Edogawa Conan had too many friends for that.

And, well, deep inside, in some hidden-away vault that Kaito didn't like opening... he was hurt.

He hadn't gotten any kind of goodbye. Not a single word.

And it stung.

Kaito had thought that he and tantei-kun were at least more than rivals, more than acquaintances. Didn't rescuing him as he was tossed out of an airship mean anything? Didn't tantei-kun remember Kaito helping him out on that train? How they'd always had each other's back?

After all that, didn't Kaito deserve some kind of explanation?

Someone cleared his throat, and Kaito jerked. "Uh, hey, are you still there?"

Accidentally dropping the book he was holding, Kaito stammered, "Er – I – I'm fine, sorry. I was just distracted for a second. I'm sure my friend will like the book. Thanks for the help." He snatched up the book, snapped it shut, and began trudging over to the counter to pay. "So… what should I do with your phone?"

The man on the other end of the line heaved a breath. "Let's see… right now, you're still at the bookstore… Well, we could meet at the café near there. Is that okay?"

"Mmhm," replied Kaito, stepping into line.

"I'll see you in twenty minutes, if that's okay?"

"Sure." Kaito set the book down on the counter, reaching for his wallet to pay.

"Good. See you then." The line clicked off, and Kaito closed the phone, sliding it into his pocket. It certainly wasn't the right time to be reminiscing about tantei-kun.

He had to return the phone, after all.

* * *

**This was originally going to be a oneshot about Kaito discovering that Shinichi has a Kid cell phone strap, but then it turned into... whatever this is. So nope, I'm not sure where this is going after the first two chapters. But it's not a super compelling idea anyway, so I doubt I'll get much feedback on this.**

**On a completely unrelated note: I was rereading _The Scarlet Pimpernel _for absolutely no reason, and the thought occurred to me that Kid is kind of like the Scarlet Pimpernel. Y'know, good at disguising, elusive, etc. **

**Yeah. I have no idea why I just mentioned that.**

**Anyway, drop me a review if you're interested in some kind of continuation! If I get enough support, I'll try to continue, I guess. *shrug* - Luna**


	2. Chapter 2

_Well that got more of a response than I was expecting. Er… yeah, I can sense there's going to be disappointment involved. Probably._

_Let's see, any additional warnings for this chapter… nothing in particular, really, but there's yet another Sekaiichi Hatsukoi reference… cameo… thing. Yeah. This one's a looooot more blatant._

_Anyway, uh, onwards, I suppose. – Luna_

* * *

Kaito arrived at the café a few minutes earlier than planned, stepping in as a persistent wind tightened its hold on the back of his jacket. He shivered, shutting the door behind him hurriedly.

Glancing around, he found that the café was mostly void of people, save for two tables. One was shared by two men (one looked somewhat effeminate and the other exuded a horrifyingly princely aura) and the other was occupied by what appeared to be a couple of sorts (a girl with her hair up in half up, half down and a man, though Kaito could only see his back from where he stood).

A waitress approached him with a perfectly clipped smile. "Welcome, sir. Table for one?"

Kaito hesitated. "Uh, no, actually. I'm supposed to meet someone."

"A table for two? This way, please," the girl smoothly revised, motioning towards a table near the couple. Kaito trailed after her, standing awkwardly as she deposited menus onto the table, bowed, and withdrew.

Tugging off his jacket and draping it across the back of his chair, Kaito sat down, placed his wrapped Detective Samonji book on the table, and flipped open the menu, glancing absently at the items mentioned. It appeared guy-whose-name-wasn't-Ran wasn't there yet…

The waitress returned a minute later, brandishing an order pad and that same courteous smile. "Are you ready to order, sir?" she queried.

"Oh, uh… coffee, please." Kaito shut the menu and handed it to her. She nodded and left quietly.

Left in silence, Kaito felt his eyes start to glaze over in boredom. They focused on the male half of the couple a few feet away, traveling unseeingly up and down the slender curve of his back.

Ugh. Waiting for not-Ran was so _boring_.

On the way back up, Kaito's eyes latched on the back of the man's head. Hm. Maybe it was a side effect of Kaito thinking about tantei-kun earlier on, but the cowlick that stuck out of the man's head could've been a replica of the six-year-old detective's.

_Oh God. I'm starting to see tantei-kun _everywhere_. And anyway, why am I _still _so goddamn fixated on that brat? Even after two whole years. Pathetic. _Kaito smothered his face in his hands, muffling a growl.

"Uh, sir, I've brought your coffee…?" a confused female voice informed him, and Kaito lifted his face to find the waitress hovering uncertainly by his elbow, clutching a teacup and saucer awkwardly.

"Of course. Thank you," Kaito quickly covered, motioning for her to set it down. She did just that, looking slightly concerned as she gave a quick jerk of the head and strode off, casting him a glance.

Sighing, Kaito sank down in his seat, raising his gaze up to find that the man he'd been watching had turned around in his seat and was staring back at him now.

He jerked, startled at the unexpected intensity of the other's eyes. They were an interesting shade of azure – starkly unreadable, with an almost iridescent appearance, but impossible to describe as mild or even remotely delicate – and somehow… somehow _familiar_. Like Kaito had seen them before somewhere. Multiple times.

Well this was officially kind of weird.

A look to the door found that the man's companion, the girl, was exiting the café, having tucked herself into a heavy coat and scarf. Oh.

The man had risen and was taking tentative steps towards Kaito. "Uh… are you the one who found my phone…?" he asked diffidently, arching one narrow, artfully sculpted eyebrow at Kaito questioningly.

It took Kaito a second to get past the smooth, surprisingly rich voice and realize what exactly he'd been asked. "Yes, Ran-kun~!" he sang cheerfully, slipping back into his usual bright exterior.

Something about this man was too familiar, too _unexpectedly_ familiar, and it was throwing Kaito off.

"Oh," said the man with no small measure of relief. "That's good." He picked up his half-full cup and transferred it over to the spot across from Kaito. "Sorry about that. I would've asked you earlier, but as you might've noticed, I was occupied with a friend of mine."

"A friend? I would've thought that pretty girl was your girlfriend, Ran-kun," teased Kaito with a slight grin.

The man scowled. "_Mouri Ran_, that 'pretty girl,' is my childhood friend. And she probably doesn't want _me _to be known as _her_, so stop calling me Ran already." He seemed to hesitate before offering, "I'm Kudou Shinichi."

The name sparked a faint memory in Kaito's mind, just out of reach. Where had he heard that name…?

"Okay. Kudou-san, then," he shrugged outwardly. "I'm Kuroba Kaito, by the way. Amateur magician and savior of detectives and Kid fans alike."

Up close, Shinichi was rather good-looking. Even Kaito could see that. He had a softly angular face, with just the right amount of pale, ivory skin smoothed over high cheekbones and a slightly rounded chin. Choppy bangs divided up his narrow forehead before stretching back into the rest of his hair, which was neatly arranged over his head, save for the aforementioned cowlick and some bits of that stuck out at his nape. His azure eyes flickered underneath thick eyelashes, now observing Kaito with a hint of curiosity.

"Kid fan?" he asked, tilting his head quizzically.

Kaito dug through his pocket and pulled out Shinichi's cell phone. He prodded the Kid strap with his index finger. "Doesn't this suggest you're a fan?"

Shinichi scowled darkly, looking faintly embarrassed. "Of course not. It's got nothing to do with if I like him or not. Er, if I'm a fan or not, I mean." He punctuated his awkward stuttering with a frustrated groan and gave a halfhearted swipe aimed for his phone. Kaito swept out of reach, interest piqued by the strange reaction.

"You're telling me you're not a Kid fan even though you've got this strap?" Kaito raised an eyebrow dubiously, allowing himself a slightly Kid-esque smirk. "Having fan merchandise dangling off your phone would suggest otherwise, meitantei."

Odd how the name Kaito had occasionally used for tantei-kun seemed to fit this guy so easily, Kaito noted mentally. Ah well, no matter.

The great detective in question seemed to freeze for a second, staring blankly at Kaito. "What did you just call me?"

"Meitantei. Y'know, 'Great Detective'?" Kaito explained, spinning Shinichi's phone by the strap teasingly. "Since you're _such_ a great detective and all that."

"…I see," Shinichi answered a minute later, lifting his cup to his lips with sudden serenity. He glanced at Kaito over the rim, appearing to bite back a grin. "And for the record, no, I'm not a Kid fan. I'm actually _anti_-Kid."

_What, is he in denial or something? _

"Really." Kaito sighed dryly, "you're anti-Kid." He flicked the tiny Kid figurine on the man's phone, scrutinizing Shinichi's reaction carefully. "Why is this in such good condition, then? I mean, if you hated the guy, you'd... oh, I don't know, smash it to pieces or _something._ Not leave it on your phone to display your adoration for him."

Shinichi shrugged, an easy roll of the shoulders, as a slightly predatory gleam brightened his eyes.

It did not bode well with Kaito, and it reminded him somehow of tantei-kun _yet again_, further solidifying his theory that tantei-kun was slowly taking over his life. He was seeing the damn kid _everywhere_.

"Well, I don't know. I haven't gone to a heist in how long… two years? Around there?" Shinichi stated offhandedly, in a way that made Kaito's eyebrows scrunch. Why did he say it like _that_? Like Kaito was supposed to take some hint, connect some invisible dots?

Shinichi was watching him with a slightly hopeful expression. Seeing how Kaito just stared back at him indifferently, he exhaled, looking vaguely disappointed. "I tried, at least," he muttered, and Kaito's eyebrows rose. This guy was starting to seem borderline insane. Why was it so important that Shinichi hadn't gone to a heist for two years –

Wait.

Two years?

* * *

**Yes, Kaito. Continue along that train of thought so I can advance the plot.**

**A note: In my opinion, I think it makes sense for Shinichi to figure out Kaito's identity faster than it would for Kaito to figure out Shinichi's. After all, it's much harder to believe that a six-year-old is actually a sixteen-year-old (although they're about eighteen/nineteen-ish in this fic, with the whole two years/time spent as Conan factored in) than it is to believe that an amateur magician is the Kaitou Kid. Logically speaking, that is.**

**Okay, babbling has finished. I seriously got waaaay more feedback than I was expecting on this. I just have to hope that I don't disappoint. *sigh***

**Thanks for reading and consider dropping me a review, k? - Luna**


	3. Chapter 3

_(Sorry for the phantom update, if you got one! I posted it and then realized there were some mistakes, so I took it down and edited it a little. My deepest apologies.)_

_After much cajoling from various reviewers, I'm finally, finally posting this update. Sorry for the ridiculous wait. It took much consideration to decide how I should finish this off, and in the end, I went for fluffy and simple._

_Hopefully you'll enjoy. – Luna_

* * *

"That's not possible," Kaito was insisting before he knew it. "There… it… no."

Shinichi was regarding him with a smirk. It disturbed Kaito profoundly to find that he recognized that smirk very well.

"Is it, though? Kid-san?" he asked, the picture of calm coolness as he lifted one elegant eyebrow in a way that quite simply meant _I am superior to you and I am going to be smug about it for a very long, long time_.

Kaito fought the urge to rip out his own hair because clearly, Shinichi and tantei-kun _had _to be the same. No one could pull off the one eyebrow thing that well.

Clearing his throat and gathering his wits, Kaito donned his own smile, relishing the way Shinichi's own adopted a slightly wolfish edge once he had. "Oh, tantei-kun. I didn't recognize after these part years." He tilted his head with every air of innocence. "Have you gone through a bit of a growth spurt?"

"More than a bit," Shinichi conceded, and his smile accumulated forty percent more teeth. "You haven't changed, though, have you?"

"My, my, is that _relief_ I'm sensing?" Kaito wasn't sure how he was still managing to function, let alone breathe – his heart had started to beat out a frantic rhythm against his ribs as the realization had actually set in. Tantei-kun was sitting in front of him, with that stupid smirk glued to his face and his eyes flashing dangerously and… and just _tantei-kun_.

"I don't know, is it?" Shinichi returned coolly, with every bit of calm that Kaito remembered him to possess. He cleared his throat and lifted his coffee cup to his lips, and Kaito nearly missed the softly muttered, "Yes."

Oh.

The following silence was overwhelming.

Kaito leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Tantei-kun, what _happened _to you?" he asked lowly, abandoning all pretense of sarcastic banter. "You didn't… explain. You just _left_." He was aware of the slight whine in his voice, but Kaito frankly just didn't care.

He needed answers, dammit.

The detective set down his cup, discarding the remnants of his smile. "Kid –"

"Kuroba Kaito."

Blinking, Shinichi stared at him uncomprehendingly as a crease began to form between his eyebrows. "Wh –"

"I'm not asking as the Kaitou Kid," Kaito stated bluntly. He leaned in a little closer, feeling almost as if he would be swallowed by the azure of Shinichi's eyes. "I'm asking as me, Kuroba Kaito."

For one precarious moment, Shinichi didn't say a word. His eyes locked with Kaito's, unblinking, and Kaito was lost in a combination of the intensity of his gaze and the accelerating thrum of his heartbeat.

"I understand," he finally agreed, tugging his eyes away from Kaito's, who breathed a shallow sigh of relief. _Mental note to self: Extended exposure to tantei-kun's older form leads to heart palpitations._

"Kaito," Shinichi began, leaning just the slightest bit forward, and Kaito blinked in surprise, feeling his cheeks color rather horrifyingly.

But seriously, they were on a first-name basis now? What?

"Three years ago, I was shrunken into a six-year-old – Edogawa Conan – by a poison that was administered to me by a member of a crime syndicate called the Black Organization."

Kaito would've laughed, but the serious expression on Shinichi's face made him stop. He wasn't joking, and that was a bit scary, considering what he was saying.

"I met Haibara Ai, who took the same poison and changed into a child, although she had been a member of the Black Organization who turned traitor after they killed her sister. After a year, she made a permanent antidote that returned me to my original state. That's when Edogawa Conan moved to the States and was never heard from again."

"Why didn't you tell me any of this?" Kaito interrupted, his stomach feeling heavier by the second. This kind of thing… hadn't Shinichi thought Kaito was trustworthy enough? Well, technically, he _was _kind of a criminal, but…

Swallowing, Shinichi seemed hesitant as he replied, "I didn't want… I thought you were safer not knowing anything. If they somehow traced you back to me, you'd be in danger." At the expression that crossed Kaito's faced, he hurried to add, "I know you can take care of yourself and all that, but they're just… I didn't want to take that risk, okay? They've got a lot of connections, and they're resourceful. You… it's not that you're a damsel in distress or anything, but… if anything happened to you because of me… no, that sounds wrong…"

It was a rare sight to see Kudou Shinichi this flustered, Kaito decided. He had to hide a smile. It was actually rather endearing, to be honest. "It's fine. Just tell me the rest of the story, tantei-kun."

He hadn't expected the sharp glance that Shinichi sent him. "If you're not asking me as Kid, then I'm not telling you as 'tantei-kun,'" Shinichi snapped.

Right, right. Kaito quickly corrected, "Sorry, Kudou-san. Er…" He coughed. "…Shinichi."

Nodding approvingly, Shinichi continued, "Anyway, ever since I was shrunken, I've been sorting out the Black Organization. I took down the higher ranks in the first year as Kudou Shinichi, but now I'm just cleaning all the smaller divisions and some of the non-codenames.

"And before you ask," he began when he saw how Kaito was opening his mouth, "I didn't want to involve you by going to your heists. First of all, it might expose my former identity, seeing as I didn't go to Kid heists before, and second, it might make some agents think you would make a good hostage. I couldn't help the people I'd already associated with before I was Conan, like Ran, her father, my parents, Professor Agasa, and the police force, but I had to avoid everyone else I'd gotten to know after my shrinking – the Detective Boys, Haibara, Hattori, Kazuha… you. No one knew that you guys were important to me, since I hadn't known you as Kudou Shinichi."

"Still, it's not like I need protection," Kaito muttered, though his chest had long since lightened. A feeling like happiness had begun to circulate through him. So tantei-kun had been trying to protect him in his unhelpful, stupid way and apparently hadn't realized he could've covertly informed Kaito of what was going on without making actual contact. Had that not been an option?

(...Then again, knowing Shinichi, he'd probably tell Kaito that all means of communication could be traced back to him and blah blah blah.)

"I guess not," Shinichi concurred with a laugh, and Kaito marveled inwardly at how much more relaxed he seemed now as he sat back and smiled at Kaito in the gentlest manner Kaito had ever witnessed. "But I'm glad that we finally got to meet again. I mean, I'm already almost done with taking down the Black Organization. I was going to start going to heists again."

"Oh, really?" This had to be a dream. Tantei-kun back at heists?

That would be a very good dream indeed.

"Mmhm," Shinichi nodded. "But until then…" His gaze flickered to the long-forgotten cell phone Kaito was still holding. "I had to make due with the cell phone strap," he muttered, face turning just the slightest bit pink, and Kaito nearly, _nearly _blushed at the insinuations.

To distract himself, Kaito picked up the phone and flipped it open to meet the screen lock. "What are you doing –" Shinichi began, sounding mildly panicked as he reached across the table to reclaim his phone, and Kaito just flashed a smile.

"I just want to add my number to your phone," he sang, and Shinichi blinked, the flush in his cheeks going a few shades darker. It was enough of a distraction for Kaito to unlock the phone, tapping in 4869 and hitting the OK button before Shinichi could react.

The phone unlocked, as Kaito knew it would, and his eyes widened upon finding that Shinichi's wallpaper, unexpectedly, was a photo of _him_. Well, Kid, at least. Kaito was in uniform, a silhouette of white against a starry night sky, and Kaito sincerely wondered when Shinichi had taken it. It must've been at least two years ago, of course, which meant that Shinichi hadn't deleted it even after two years…?

He looked up at Shinichi, who looked somewhat horrified at the turn of events. "This is a picture of me," Kaito informed him, one eyebrow raised.

"Yes, it is," answered Shinichi stiffly. "Now could you please –" He made a wild swing over the table, and Kaito felt the beginnings of a smile on his face.

This was interesting.

Very, _very _interesting.

"Mm, I don't think I want to give this back to you anymore. Finders, keepers and all that," he announced airily, and Shinichi visibly flinched.

"Why not?" he growled, thoroughly incensed. "You already –"

"_But_," Kaito broke in, waving the phone at a tantalizingly close distance just out of Shinichi's reach, "I _might _be persuaded otherwise if you were willing to possibly go out for dinner at some point next week?"

Kaito could practically hear the detective blinking before a slow smile spread across his face.

"Okay," Shinichi said calmly. "Finders, keepers. I understand." He smirked as he rose, dropping a few thousand yen on the table, and Kaito almost melted on the spot. "See you next Friday at seven. You can pick me up."

Watching him leave, Kaito wondered if that would be enough time to change every contact number on Shinichi's phone to his.

He decided it would.

* * *

**Due to the long break between updates, I had to skim through the first two chapters to remember what I was doing. I probably missed some things, so apologies for any continuity errors that might have popped up.**

**Well, I can check this one off as "complete with a terrible ending." Now for the five million half-finished oneshots that I should probably finish before my real life starts happening again.**

**Thanks for reading and drop me a review if you feel like it~! Till we meet again. - Luna**


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